The Ultimate Sacrifice
by IrisCandy
Summary: The third trial is complete and the ultimate sacrifice is made. (So, basically, if I were the one to write the last few minutes of the season 8 finale, this is probably how it would go. ) Cas!Whump, Protective!Dean. One shot, gen fic.


**Author's Note: So, since I'm seriously rolling around in my tears dreading the Supernatural finale, I decided to write my version of what the "sacrifice" might be. I'm hoping it will be filled with Destiel whump stuff, just like this fic. I hope you all enjoy! Feel free to inbox me and let me know what _you_ think the sacrifice will be. **

**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to the characters or universe of Supernatural. All rights belong to Eric Kripke and the rest of the gang - except for the original characters, of course. (Oh, how I wish I owned the Winchesters and their angel.)**

* * *

Abaddon was glowing. Literally. The ex-demon glowed with a harsh white light that forced closed the eyes of the two onlookers. The Winchesters could hear her laughing, but not in the cruel, twisted way that she had laughed when she was demonic bitch. No, this laugh was genuine, even tearful with happiness.

The light lasted for only a minute before the two brothers saw it extinguished through their eyelids.

When they were certain it was safe, they cracked open their eyes. The boys sighed in relief knowing that they hadn't been transported or vaporized by the harsh light. They stood in the same old processing plant where they had shot Abaddon. Before them was a wooden chair, it's only occupant the empty vessel, Josie Sands, long since dead from being chopped to pieces and sewn back together again.

"What the hell?" Dean asked.

"I think...did we do it?" Sam asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

There was rustling of wings behind them and the two brothers turned, prepared to strike any douche bag angel that came to crash the party.

Dean's heart settled again when he saw the familiar tan trench coat and plain blue tie.

"She went to heaven," said Castiel, blatantly skipping over any greetings, as per usual.

"So, what? It worked then? We _cured a_ _demon_?" Dean asked, dubious. No way had it been that easy.

"With your help, it seems Abaddon was able to extinguish the demonic element of herself. Of course, this can only be done with a great psychological effort and so the angels regard this as a seemingly acceptable reason to welcome her to heaven. Or, in simpler terms, redemption."

Dean closed his eyes and shook his head for a moment before clarifying. "So, you're saying that if you're able to gank the demon bitch inside yourself, that's redemption enough to bump you up to a spot in the penthouse?"

"Generally, yes," said Castiel.

And suddenly, Dean realized what would happen before it did. If they completed the trial then...

He turned to Sam as he collapsed to the ground, grimacing at his flexed arm.

"Hey, hey, you okay? Sammy?" Dean asked, kneeling beside his brother. He had the awful suspicion that this would be a whole lot worse than the pain his brother felt after the first two trials. Sam gritted his teeth, but a grunt slipped out and grew ever louder as his arm began to glow bright orange.

And then he was screaming. Pain ripped through his arm, growing a thousand times worse with each breath he took. A white hot knife, slicing through skin, muscle and bone until sweat broke out along his forehead. The pain didn't just attack his arm this time...it travelled like furious wild fire through the veins in his entire body. His chest. His throat. His head. Oh God, his _head_ must be on _fire_.

"Sam!" Dean yelled, helpless as his brother roared on the floor of the processing plant. He snapped his head up to Cas.

"Do something!"

Cas looked from Dean to Sam, trying to form words but nothing came out. What could he possibly do?

Dean roared in frustration, snapped his head back to Sam and grabbed his shoulders, but it was too late. His brother's screams were fading now as his eyes rolled back in to his head and he collapsed in to a heap.

His arm stopped glowing, and with it, Sam lost consciousness.

"Sam! No, no, come on, man, come on!" Dean yelled, shaking his brother. Sam felt freezing under Dean's fingers and he began to shutter mercilessly.

In a rage, Dean stood up and turned on Cas. "How do we fix him?"

"The third trial...the gates of Hell must be closing, but there's no way to know for sure until-"

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock!" he shoved Cas in the chest, hard and insistent, "How do we fix him?!"

Another rustle of wings behind him sent Dean's heart plummeting. _Why_ hadn't he thought of angel warding the place?

"You cannot fix him, Dean," said a cold female voice. He turned and ended up face to face with Naomi and two of her buddies flanking her.

"Yeah? You watch me," Dean growled and moved towards Sam again. He didn't have time for this angelic bitch and her posse.

"You can try, Winchester, but there's consequences when a human..._meddles,_"

"We did you a favor," Dean spat, still feeling Sam's thready pulse as if his touch would revive him.

"Don't you _dare_ presume that you did anything for the angels. You are useless, Dean Winchester. You and your filthy abomination of a brother." She nudged her head towards Sam, looking disgusted. And then, "Felix, grab him."

In a flutter of wings, Dean was being grabbed by his shirt collar and stumbled backwards. The stony faced angel called Felix had him in an indestructible grip. He stared in to Naomi's piercing eyes, trying to think of all the reasons he hated her and determined not to give her the satisfaction of fighting and squirming in Felix's grip.

"I'm getting tired of you, Dean. And _you_" she turned her piercing gaze on to Castiel who still stood looking as helpless as Dean felt, "should have killed him in the first place you useless excuse for an angel."

It was clear now that Naomi had decided to drop her sweet and innocent, _I'm just trying to help_ facade. She was pissed.

Without another word, Naomi advanced on Dean, sword in hand. Dean braced himself - not for fear of death, but for fear of what would happen to his little brother, shivering and sweating on the floor. He couldn't leave him, not like this. Not by the hands of _Naomi_.

"Don't you dare touch him," Castiel's voice was furious and determined, as he moved between Dean and the knife. This was enough to make Naomi pause, considering Cas had been a silent little soldier since she arrived.

But the surprise on her face lasted for no more than a second. Soon enough, her eyes lit up with amusement. Castiel had never seen her look so..._deranged_. She had always been so cool and collected with him, but now she was twisted with anger.

He realized that Naomi was terrified knowing that Sam managed to complete everything on the Demon tablet. It was only a matter of time before the Angel tablet is read and completed as well, and that could only mean bad news for Naomi. Cas shook off the thought and brought himself back to the present to avoid being speared by Naomi's knife.

"You will spare them. Both of them. The Winchesters will not be harmed and Sam will not suffer the consequences of the trials." He didn't know where the words were coming from, but they fell from his mouth like an avalanche as the two of them stood face to face, poised for a fight.

"Oh, really?" Naomi asked, derisively. "And why, Castiel, would I listen to you?"

The blood in Castiel's vessel froze in its veins. If he didn't answer that question, he and Dean would be killed with the angel sword in Naomi's cold hands. He had no control over Naomi, but he knew that she was stronger than him, and she could easily fix Sam if she tried. And so, he had to compromise.

He knew what he had to do, and it chilled him to the bone.

"I can give you something of far better value than the death of the Winchesters."

Naomi looked about to ask what Castiel was talking about, but a brief flash of something horrid came across her eyes as she realized what he meant. They stared at each other for what seemed like a lifetime before Naomi raised her eyebrows. Cas nodded once, determined, and Naomi's mouth twitched in to a smile.

"Cas?" said Dean. It was a million questions rolled in to one name. _What are you doing? Will Sam be alright? What are you talking about? Are you okay? Is he going to die? Am I going to die? Get this guy off me!_

"Felix, I'm going to need you. Put Dean against the wall."

Felix let go of Dean and suddenly he was flying backwards until he hit the wall of the processing plant with a smash followed by a grunt. The impact was bone jarring, but nothing compared to panic and confusion rising in his chest. He felt the same freezing of his muscles that he felt so many times before when he was forced up against a wall. Helpless.

"Him too," Naomi said, nodding her head towards Sam but not taking her eyes off Castiel's.

"But-" Felix started, but was cut off by the snap of Naomi's fingers. Suddenly, Sam bolted upright with a gasp.

"Sam! Sam, you okay?" Dean yelled, his voice tight against the freezing sensation.

Sam looked around wildly for a moment before patting himself down as if to check if he was still corporeal. Then his eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah...yeah, Dean, I'm fine," Sam said, bewildered, as if he expected to be dead.

After that short little reunion, Felix magically maneuvered Sam up against the wall as well until he and Dean were side by side, watching Cas and Naomi's stare down. Sam looked utterly disoriented.

And then Naomi made a clucking noise with her tongue and moved her gaze towards the Winchesters as Felix took his place behind Cas. "You two boys are just so _clueless_ as to what this poor soul is willing to do for you."She looks back at Castiel once more."It disgusts me that you are so loyal to these apes. But, if you insist. Your sacrifice will be useful. Boys, hold him."

Felix and the other nameless angel each grab one of Cas' arms and spin him around until he's looking right in to Dean's perplexed face a mere ten feet away.

"It pains me to do this, Castiel. You could have been so much better if only you had just _listened_," Naomi said, her voice almost _soft_.

"Cas! Talk to me, man, what are you-?"

Dean's voice cut off with a wave of Naomi's hand, but the panic still lingered in his eyes as he began to struggle against his invisible bonds.

Castiel, Angel of the Lord and seemingly unbreakable to all those who had tried to hurt him, was scared. He was more terrified than he had ever been, because he had only heard stories, Angel lore, about what he was about to do. He couldn't possibly understand what was in store for him, and yet he was going to allow it. He needed to allow it to save the Winchesters, and that was all that ever mattered.

His borrowed heart, Jimmy Novak's heart, was racing and thumping hard and fast like it was willing itself to jump from his chest. He wanted to scream as he felt the force of the angels' hands on his arms, how trapped he felt.

And then he caught Dean's imploring gaze. Cas wanted to freeze time, to explain to Dean that there was no need to worry and that it - whatever _it _was - wouldn't last long. This would all be over soon. Dean's brow was furrowed and his eyes grew wider the longer Castiel stared back at him. The angel didn't have any idea how he looked in that moment, but he hoped the bone chilling fear that flooded through him didn't show on his face. He gave Dean one slow nod that said a thousand words before Naomi appeared in front of him.

Dean didn't know what Cas' nod was meant to tell him, and he had no idea what in the name of God was going on, but his heart took a swan dive in to his stomach. The silence in the processing plant as Naomi moved in front of Castiel was baleful and foreshadowed something awful. Worst of all, Dean was unable to move, unable to look away from Castiel's face that showed more fear than it ever had before.

"This would go a lot smoother if you let me in," Naomi said.

_What the hell is that supposed to mean?_ Dean thought, since his tongue was frozen in his mouth. Castiel's eyes widened just a little, but his mouth was pressed in a tight line. Dean could see his jaw working furiously.

And then a lump formed in Dean's throat as he saw something he never thought he would _ever _see, no matter what the circumstances. Wings. Gigantic, black and plumed _wings_. They weren't a shadow or an ashy sketch on the ground that formed when an angel died. They were there, two tangible miracles, and they were sprouting right from Castiel's trench coated back.

If he could turn his head, he was sure he would see Sam's eyes sparkling like those of a child. He'd always been a sucker for miracles.

Cas bowed his head and closed his eyes and suddenly his body was teetering between transparent and opaque. Dean wondered if it was just a trick of the light, but no - he could see _through _Castiel. Dean wanted to scream. Why could he see _wings_? What in the actual hell-

And then Naomi stuck her hand through Castiel's abdomen as easily as if he were made of water. The wings disappeared.

Castiel felt Naomi's hand in his body as much as he would have if she had cut him open with a saw and plunged it in the wound. He screamed in agony and thrashed against the arms that held him still, but Naomi remained placid as she fumbled her hand around his insides. He tried to double over, to somehow stop the awful burning and clawing in his gut.

And that was before she touched his Grace.

He hadn't known what it would feel like when she reached it, but he knew when she had. It was just a poke. Just a small stroke of the energy inside him, but it was enough to make his true voice heard. A painfully loud noise came from his mouth and pierced the air as an exquisite pain reverberated through him. He couldn't quite understand it. The pain was almost like a numbness that filled his chest and extremities, but Jimmy's body was not meant for the pain that came with touching an angel's Grace. The body reacted differently. He felt nauseous and his head burned like a bucket of acid boiling in the brain.

It was as if he had every pain possible for a human to feel, mixed with the pain of an angel.

And then it ceased, leaving him with the throbbing sensation left by someone who had just played with your intestines.

"Oh, Castiel," Naomi said, breathless as she pulled her hand out of him. "That was only a taste of what it feels like. Now, tell me. Do you _really _want to go through that for the _Winchesters_?"

She gestured towards the boys on the wall. Cas lifted his head, though it weighed a ton. He looked Dean in the eye once more. The man was sweating profusely with the effort of trying to pull free from the angelic force pinning him against the wall, his eyes filled with raw anger and shock.

"Let him speak, Felix," said Naomi, wiping a sleeve across her forehead.

Felix took away his spell and immediately Dean began roaring.

"You _bitch_! You leave him alone, you hear me? Cas. Cas! Can you hear me? You fight it, man. Fight it!" Dean screamed, obviously enraged.

Castiel noticed that Dean hadn't said _don't let them do it_. He was smart. He knew that Castiel's Grace was the only thing that kept Naomi from killing them both, and so Cas would give it to her. The ultimate sacrifice.

"_Do it_," Castiel said, his voice hoarse and breathless. He could feel himself trembling from the pain and the fear of what was to come.

"Very well, then," Naomi said, and plunged her hand back in to Castiel as he opened himself up to her once more. The look on her face was inscrutable.

The three angels seemed to occupied with their jobs - two keeping Castiel still and one feeling around for his Grace - to pay attention to the Winchesters, and so Dean was still able to shout himself hoarse to no avail as Castiel screamed once more.

His voice became steadily louder until he was screaming in that weird angel language that Dean had heard before. It filled his ear drums to the point of bursting, but he didn't care.

Cas was doubled over as much as he could with the two angels holding him back. A vein protruded from his forehead and a sheen of sweat gleamed on his body. He was clenching his fists so hard - too hard - and Dean struggled fiercely.

_I have to get to him_, Dean thought. _I have to_. Nothing else mattered in that moment.

But Castiel's legs were collapsing beneath him and his voice was reduced to small moans and choking noises. He no longer fought against the arms restraining him and soon enough, they let him drop to the floor as Naomi turned to face the Winchesters.

In her hands was a glowing light. It had no particular form or color - just a pure, radiating light that seemed to buzz all around them.

"Well, it seems it's your lucky day, Winchesters," said Naomi, and before Dean could curse and spit at her, she was gone along with her two followers.

Dean and Sam dropped from the wall with two thumps and grunts. They wasted no time. The boys bolted to where Castiel was crumpled on the floor.

Dean dropped to his knees beside him. "Cas? Can you hear me?" he asked urgently, rolling the angel on to his back and grabbing his coat. There was no blood on his form, but somehow that made it even worse. He was just a shuttering, trembling body that felt too heavy and too light all at once.

"CAS!" Dean roared, louder than he ever had before.

The son of a bitch did this for _them_. He let her take away his Grace for _them_. Went through torture for _them_.

"Dean, we gotta get him out of here before more of them start showing up," said Sam.

"Just gimme a minute," Dean snarled. "We're gonna help him."

Truthfully, Dean didn't know what to do for a Grace-less angel who'd just been to Hell and back. Castiel's skin was an ugly white color that made Dean's heart crawl in to his throat. He wanted to puke and scream and _cut Naomi's throat_.

"Come on, you son of a bitch," Dean said through gritted teeth. He felt the angel's pulse. It was steady enough, but his breathing was shallow and hitched. "Not again, man."

And then Castiel's eyes shot open revealing a shocking blue. Before Dean could even sigh with relief, Cas was on his hands and knees, coughing up a fountain of blood on to the cement floor. He tried to gasp, but it was interrupted by another cough. Dean put his hand on his shaking back, and eventually the coughing and the blood subsided.

Dean caught Castiel awkwardly before he could collapse to the floor again.

"Sam, help me!"

Sam dove down and helped lift the angel until he was being supported between the two men.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Dean grunted, hiking Castiel up until he was fully supported and comfortable. Blood was leaking from his lips and his eyes were closed once more as he slipped in to unconsciousness once more.

They made their way outside and towards the impala. They hadn't noticed Castiel was awake until they reached the car and he threw out a hand to catch himself on the impala.

"Whoa, hey, slow down, Cas," Dean said, steadying the angel as he swayed against the car. He seemed to be trying to focus his eyes as he reached out to grab Dean's shirt.

"I'm here," Dean said, putting his hand on Cas' shoulder. "You okay? _Why _would you do that, man?"

"I'm..." Cas was looking passed Dean's face, his brow furrowed.

"What is it, Cas?" Sam asked.

His gaze moved to Sam, and then settled on Dean for a while. And then, "I'm...human."

Somehow, it was the saddest thing Dean had ever heard the angel say.

* * *

**Author's Note: Annnnnnd, there we have it. I think they'll give us a much meaner ending tha****n the one I wrote, but it's still mean nonetheless. I hope you all had a fun ride, and reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


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